Second Chances
by Rezicca
Summary: During the Battle of Hogwarts, Remus dies protecting Tonks. He goes to the afterlife, where he is given a second chance at his life. AU Reviews keep me motivated!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys! So I got the idea to write this last night. I hope this works out to be a great story and I hope it's something you all enjoy.**

Screams echoed through the halls as bodies flew across the castle, spells coming from all directions. Tonks watched in horror as student after student fell, hit by a dreaded killing curse.

But above all else, one thought was the most powerful in her mind: _Remus. _She had to find him. She left her mother and her baby to find her husband, to make sure he was safe. The auror felt cold with fear as her mind jumped to all the possibilities. For all she knew, her husband could be…

No, she must not think like that. She must have hope. If her husband had died, she would know. She would feel it.

Tonks was ripped from her thoughts as she saw a Death Eater taking aim out of the corner of her eye. With the speed of a cheetah, she flicked her wand at the Death Eater, knocking him into the flames behind him.

One of the Hogwarts knights barreled past her, intent on defeating and destroying a Death Eater it had caught. Another knight removed a Death Eater's head with a swing of its sword, clanging with every move it made.

The ghosts swarmed the Death Eaters, trying to help in any way they could, even by distracting the Death Eaters long enough for a curse to hit them.

Tonks heard a cackle, a cackle from Bellatrix Lestrange. She gripped her wand, narrowly avoiding a poorly aimed killing curse, and searched frantically for her aunt, a cold anger bubbling up inside her, her hair taking on a reddish hue.

After sending out several hexes to the Death Eaters around her, the auror ran in search of Bellatrix, trying not to glance at the bodies scattered around the ground; she was possessed by a gnawing fear that one of the bodies would be that of her husband…

Then she saw him, his beautiful face, his deep brown eyes full of rage, his scarred jaw set, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he dueled a very powerful Bellatrix. Her mask had fallen during one of the fights, and Tonks felt her cold hatred bubble up again as she stared at the face made harsh by Azkaban.

Sprinting up the stairs to meet with him, she screamed in horror and rage when a disarming spell hit Remus square in the chest. He fell back and was still. As the adrenaline began to rush into her body, Tonks stupefied Bellatrix, who fell off the stairs.

"Remus!" She cried as she rushed to her husband's side, shaking in terror. She kneeled next to him, her eyes wide, as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Dora?" He asked, surprised and confused. "Why are you here? I told you to stay with your mother!" He was outraged.

"I couldn't stay.." Tonks whispered, her eyes filled with tears. "I couldn't stand not knowing if…"

Remus sat up and wrapped his arms around Tonks, trying to blink away his own tears. Placing a kiss on her forehead, he stood, still holding his wife, looking down at the chaos below them.

In the midst of it all, he swore he saw Harry walking somberly through the carnage; there was almost no fighting down there now, as it had moved to another part of the castle. All that remained were the bodies, piles of them.

He pulled Tonks closer to him as he saw the body of Fred Weasley, a lump forming in his throat. This was too much, too much.

Then, he was overcome by a sense of weakness, a sharp pain forming in his chest where Bellatrix's spell had hit him. Tonks, noticing this, positioned her arms so that she was able to hold him up.

"C'mon," she said softly, trying to hide her returning fear, "You're hurt, there's a room close by. We can go there." And they set off to the empty classroom, Tonks have leading and half carrying Remus, one arm holding her wand and using it as a light.

After several minutes walking, Remus's breathing becoming more and more labored, they reached the room. Tonks opened it with a whisper of "_Alohamora" _and locked it behind them. She led Remus to the back of the classroom, where he collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.

"Remus…" she whispered, frightened for him. Then she saw his hands moving to his shirt. Quickly, she unbuttoned it, and what she saw almost made her scream.

Her husband's chest was a bloody red color, rigid in some areas and stretched in others. She gently touched the ridge of his heart, withdrawing her hand quickly when he gasped in pain.

She was terrified. There was a war going on around them, and her husband was dying of an unknown hex from Bellatrix. Tonks had no knowledge of healing; there was nothing she could do for him except wrap her arms around his torso and hold him.

"Dora…" he groaned, growing paler by the minute.

"Yes Remus?" She asked, trying to hide the pain in her voice. "I'm here, my love." She gently stroked his cheek as he wheezed, struggling for breath. Then his brown eyes met hers.

"I love you. I always did. Ever since I first laid my eyes on you." He stopped to catch his breath, and Tonks looked down as her eyes filled with tears. She looked back up at him to see his eyes tear-filled as well.

"Remus…"

"You gave me a reason to live. I had none until you. You gave me a year of happiness, the best year of my life."

"Please Remus," she begged, her tears falling freely now. "I don't want you to go." He stared in her eyes, his tears falling as well.

"You're so beautiful, Dora," he whispered. Her lips met his in the most emotional kiss they shared.

"Awwwww isn't that sweet" a mocking voice came from the entrance of the classroom. Tonks glared at the woman in hate as she came into the light. "The werewolf…and the half breed…sharing their last kiss. Now who shall I kill first?"

Tonks pulled her wand out of her robes quickly, only to have it flicked away silently by Bellatrix.

"Nuh uh uh," the Death Eater said in her mocking voice. "Any fighting back and that monster," she pointed her wand at Remus, "dies painfully while you watch." She flicked her wand at him, smirking as his face contorted in pain.

"Remus!" Tonks cried, her heart breaking as she watched her husband being tortured. "Stop it! Stop it please!" she begged, holding her husband and sobbing.

"So I see you've made your choice," Bellatrix smirked, cackling again as she aimed her wand at Tonks. "Say good bye to your filthy wife, wolfie. You're next. And maybe I'll track down your half breed spawn after the two of you are out of the way."

"I love you, Dora" Remus whispered to Tonks before launching himself in front of himself in front of her, taking the killing curse Bellatrix had sent.

He heard her scream his name, saw her face, and then everything went black.

**AN:** **So I'm exhausted and this probably wasn't the greatest. But still, please tell me what you think. Reviews motivate me to write a new chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Woooooo thanks for the review, everyone. They really made m smile. (:**

**Also, if you get a chance, please check out my other Tonks/Remus stories (one shots) and tell me what you think. Thanks!**

Remus Lupin opened his eyes slowly to see that he was lying on a stone floor. He looked all around him, seeing nothing but empty white space. Slowly rising to his feet, he noticed the stabbing pain in his chest had gone, although his shirt was still open. He ran his fingers down his chest, grimacing in disgust as he felt the ridges formed by Bellatrix's hex.

Deciding there was nothing better to do, he walked forward, hoping that maybe something would come into view. But nothing did. It was as if he was the only thing that existed, the only thing that was. He bit his tongue to prevent himself from panicking, which helped slightly.

"_Where am I?" _Remus thought himself as he wandered around aimlessly. Then he heard a voice.

"MOONY!" A very familiar voice shouted, and the werewolf found himself on the ground again, having been tackled by none other than Sirius Black.

"Well don't smother him, Padfoot," a female voice called out, and Lily Potter came into view, her emerald eyes glittering as she brushed her hair back. James appeared from behind Lily, grinning down at his friend.

Remus stood with the help of Sirius, his knees growing weak. They all…they all looked so young. Younger than they were when murdered. He lowered his head, blinking back tears; he never thought he would see any of them again.

"Quiet as always, eh Moony?" James smirked and embraced Remus in one-armed hug.

"What happened with you and my cuz?" Sirius asked, letting out a bark of a laugh. Remus knew he could only mean Tonks; Sirius was the first one Remus had told.

"We…er…we got married," Remus said quietly, his heart throbbing as he thought of Tonks. "We just had a baby. Ted. After her father."

"Congrats are in order then, Moony," James grinned and clasped his friend's shoulder.

"How's Harry?" Lily asked, her eyes brightening. Remus looked back at her strongly, feeling pride well up for that boy.

"You'd be so proud of him, Lily. You and Prongs both. Never before have I seen such a brave young wizard, nor such a strong patronus. It's a stag," he said, to James's questioning look. Sirius looked down, then back up at Remus.

"How did he…how did he handle it? Me leaving?" Remus lowered his gaze, and Sirius knew the answer immediately.

There was a moment of silence before Remus spoke up again.

"So...am I…am I dead? Did I die?" Vivid memories replayed themselves in his head, being hexed by Bellatrix, Tonks carrying him to the classroom, Bellatrix appearing, Remus taking the curse for Tonks…

"No," Lily said softly. "Not yet you're not. You can go back." The werewolf stared at her in amazement.

"What?"

"Bellatrix cursed you. It should have killed you the instant it hit you. But it didn't." Sirius said, grinning. "And you're a werewolf."

The word made the hairs on Remus's neck stand up. Although he had been dealing with his lycanthropy for as long as he could remember, he still hated the sound of the word.

"You're so much stronger than an ordinary wizard," James said, sharing Sirius's grin. "Her hex didn't kill you."

"Remus," Lily said, smiling softly, "You can have a second chance. At life. You can go back. You can defeat Bellatrix and save your wife. You can see the end of the war. You can see Voldemort's fall. You can live the life you've always deserved and always wanted."

The words hit Remus like a train. He was in shock. A second chance? He could go back to living? The werewolf just couldn't believe the words he was hearing.

"We can do this for you," Sirius said. "But there's one thing, mate."

"You can't live self deprecating any more. You can't waste this." Lily smiled again. "You can be a good husband to your wife, and a father to your son."

Remus thought of Dora. He remembered the tears falling down her nose. He remembered her smell, her voice. He remembered their wedding night…Then a thought struck him.

"Why me though?" he asked. "Why can't it be one of you who gets a second chance?"

"Moony, you're a werewolf, like I said. You're the only one who would survive the process."

"It's very old magic," Lily said, "It's not something that can be explained. Do you want to go back, Remus?"

He nodded, then said "What about Tonks though? Has any time passed?"

Sirius shook his head, and he stepped away from Remus, along with Lily and James.

"Thank you…all of you," Remus whispered. "I missed you all, so much." James smiled at Remus then the three of them murmured something in unison, and everything went white again.

**AN: Insomnia is horrible, so I hope this all made sense. If not, let me know and I'll explain in the AN in the next chapter.**

**Hope you enjoyed this!**

**And please check out my other stories and let me know what you think.**

**Reviews keep me motivated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Wow! Thanks so very much to everyone who responded and/or added this story to his or her Story Alerts. I've been having a really awful week and reading all the reviews really made me feel so much better.**

Remus awoke, but did not open his eyes. He knew instantly where he was, in the arms of Tonks. He heard her sobbing and Bellatrix laughing.

Opening his eyes a fraction, he saw Bellatrix's wand pointed at him, but her eyes were closed as she cackled. Moving very carefully, he gripped his wand in his pocket as he saw the Death Eater's wand point to Tonks.

"Looks like you're next," Bellatrix giggled, mockingly. She opened her mouth to say her curse, but was cut short when Remus jumped to his feet and hexed her, smirking as he heard her scream from the flames caused by his spell.

"You can kill me, but you're not going to touch her," Remus said quietly. He turned to his wife who was still kneeling on the floor, staring up at him in wonder and fear.

"You're…you're alive," she stammered. Remus nodded. "But…but…how? She killed you!"

"I know…I'll explain it all to you later," he said softly, then he grabbed her hand and led her out of the room.

They entered the staircase area of the castle, and Tonks covered her mouth in awe of the carnage. Bodies were everywhere. Remus felt a lump in his throat as he saw students he recognized from his single year of teaching.

The pictures that hung on the walls in their gold frames were either empty or destroyed from the fighting. Some were completely beyond repair. Then, a magnified voice called out.

"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."

"No," moaned Tonks as she buried her face in her hands. Remus felt his eyes begin to tear as he grabbed his wife's hand and led her to the entrance hall of the castle, where they joined a crowd of people.

"The battle is won. You have lost half your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, and child, will be slaughtered, as well as every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

The Death Eaters with Voldemort and Hagrid, who seemed to be carrying Harry's body, lined in front of the massive doors, so the crowd could see them all. Tonks sobbed in Remus's shoulder as he held her, tears of his own falling as well.

"NO!" Professor McGonagall wailed, and the werewolf's blood ran cold as he heard the laugh of Bellatrix Lestrange, although he could not see her.

Then the screams began. The screams of the crowd. The screams of anger and sorrow, which Tonks and Remus joined in with their own voice

"SILENCE!" Voldemort roared, and silence was forced upon them all. Remus squeezed Tonks closer to him as the panic set in. No, Harry could not be dead. He can't be dead. "It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!" The half-giant obeyed, and more cries broke out as someone shouted "He beat you!"

There were sounds of a struggle and a voice cried out. Remus straightened, and saw that Neville Longbottom had broken from the crowd and charged at Voldemort. They shouted at each other, before Neville shouted "Dumbledore's Army!" and many students cheered.

There was more of a struggle, which Remus and Tonks could not see before more fighting broke out. Spells flew everywhere as they separated.

However, something new filled Remus. A new spirit, he supposed. He felt invincible, and he quickly cut down all who attempted to kill him. He thought quickly back to his encounter with his old friends, and their gift to him. There was no way he was going to waste his life this time around. He was going to protect his family with everything he had. He was going to do everything he could to make this world better, and that was by taking out any Death Eater that dared to stray into his path.

He glanced over his shoulder to see his wife battling a Death Eater, and his hand moved of its own volition when he saw her stumble, and with a flash of light, the Death Eater was dead.

"Remus!" She gasped, amazed at him. He pulled her to her feet and kissed her more passionately than he ever had before.

"Nymphadora Lupin," he said quietly, loving the sound of her beautiful name, "When this is all over, my life is going to be devoted to you and Teddy. I promise." He then broke away from her, taking out yet another Death Eater, amazed in his newfound energy and passion.

"NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH!" he heard the unmistakable voice of Molly Weasley cry out, and he knew immediately that Bellatrix Lestrange was dead.

Then he saw someone close to him, someone he never thought he would see alive again

"Harry?" He whispered in amazement as the boy pulled off his father's invisibility cloak. Then the screams of both sides began, amazed that the Boy Who Lived was indeed alive.

Harry approached Voldemort fearlessly, and the two circled each other for several minutes, shouting at each other.

Then the sun began to rise, as Voldemort and Harry both cried their spells.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

"_Expelliarmus!"_

Voldemort's own spell destroyed him. Immediately, people were cheering and shouting, jubilant that the Dark Lord was, at last, destroyed.

After many hours of speaking to other people who had fought as well, Tonks and Remus returned to their small cottage, exhausted from the events of the past day.

Remus opened the door to their cottage, a new feeling bubbling inside him. He walked through the main room, through the kitchen, past Tonks's mother who was asleep in a chair, and into the nursery.

It was rather plain, aside from a simple rocking chair and crib, in which Remus's son was gurgling happily. He leaned over the crib, slowly picking up his son. He sat in the rocking chair, leaning back and gently rocking, smiling at his son through his tears.

Oh, what a gift his friends had given him. To think that this, all this, he would have left behind…he couldn't even imagine it as he stared into the eyes of Teddy.

"Remus?" A voice called out gently to him. He looked up, blinking away his tears.

"In here, Dora," he said softly, and his wife walked in, tears of her own falling as she took in the image of her husband and her baby.

"C'mon," she whispered after a few moments, in which Teddy had fallen fast asleep, his hair a strawberry red. The baby was gently put back in his crib as Remus followed Tonks into their bedroom where they both collapsed in the bed, holding each other.

**AN: This was a bit of a weird chapter for me to write. Not too lengthy, but lengthy compared to the other chapters.**

**So in the next one, perhaps we can see a bit of an explanation from Remus about why he survived. ;) Maybe Harry will come visit them!**

**Please let me know what you thought of this. Reviews keep me motivated!**

**Also, check out Riddle TM at /riddletmmusic. They're music is beautiful and I listened to Chapter 34 on repeat while writing this, which probably explains a lot.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey all. I'm back. This was pretty much the week from hell, so I haven't really had time to check email or get writing until tonight.**

**Thanks to the people who did review, although I have a feeling that not many people enjoyed the last chapter. I think I have an idea as to why…but meh. If I write chapters in the future that aren't really enjoyed, then can you please let me know? Thanks.**

Remus and Tonks lay together for almost two hours, watching the sun move through the sky. Neither slept and neither spoke. They did nothing. Finally, Tonks spoke.

"Remus?" She whispered softly. Her husband looked at her with his dark eyes as she spoke. "What happened, at the castle? How…" her voice shook and broke, "how did you not die?"

Remus rolled over on his back and stared at the ceiling, trying his best to think of a way to explain the events to his wife. The memories, of James and Lily, of Sirius, they were still so vivid, as if he had only talked to them moments ago. He had assumed that the memories would eventually fade, but they hadn't. They were still there, replaying themselves every time he closed his eyes.

"I did die," he said at last. "I died…and I was with my old friends. James, Lily, Sirius…they were all there." Tonks stared at him, both shocked and puzzled. Remus wrapped his arms around her before continuing. "We talked for a bit, I told them about you," he quickly kissed her forehead, "I told them about Teddy. And…I felt like a monster, a monster for leaving you both."

"Remus, you were saving me." Her eyes were wide with adoration and love.

"I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I hadn't tried," he said, after a few seconds. "Dora, my friends, my dear friends, they gave me my life back. I don't understand how," he added quickly when he saw her open her mouth to ask a question, "All I know is that I'm alive again. And I want to be better to you. I want to be a better husband to you and a better father to Teddy."

He looked again at his wife, staring in her eyes, and sighed deeply.

"I'll need to be completely honest with you," he said quietly, turning away from her in shame as he remembered when he wanted to leave her. "Dora, there's something I need to tell you…something I never told you…something you of all people deserve to know." Before he knew it, her lips were pressed to his in a deep kiss.

"Whatever it is, I don't need to know it. Let's not be troubled by the past! We're alive, the both of us, Remus! Voldemort is dead! Life can go on!" She kissed him again, her fingers in his messy hair and his arms around her waist and they fell back on the bed, embracing one another with more passion than either had experienced before.

**AN: Sorry this one was a bit short. Meh. I'm just not really feeling it right now, and I felt bad for not updating. Hope you all enjoyed it, despite its length. So..please review and tell me what you liked, what you disliked, anything? They keep me sane, honestly.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hey everyone! Back for more updates! Things are getting sort of better in my life, so the chapters will be a bit better and more fluffy, maybe. All depends on what you good people want to read. Thanks to everyone for the reviews, I'm replying to all of them. Also, please tell your friends? I'll give you a virtual cookie if you do. :D**

Remus awoke to a knock at the bedroom door. Opening his eyes, he saw his wife's sleeping form next to him, his arm around her. Moving so as to not awake her, he walked silently to the door and opened it to his mother-in-law, although her similar appearance to her sister made the werewolf jump. _Bellatrix is dead, Remus, _he told himself sharply before facing Andromeda.

"Thanks for being with Teddy," he smiled at her, his exhaustion visible in the dark shadows under his eyes.

"Are you both alright? Is Nymphadora?" Andromeda whispered, concerned for her daughter. Remus looked over his shoulder to smile at his sleeping wife.

"Dora is exhausted," He said at last. "We both are. It was…it was a rough night, but we won. Voldemort is dead, killed by Harry Potter." Andromeda smiled at him, listening although she already knew that. Everyone in the wizarding world had been celebrating the defeat of the Dark Lord.

"And my sister?"

"Dead. Killed by one of the Weasley's. She tried to kill both Dora and I." Remus explained. Glancing behind him once again to look at Tonks, he quietly suggested they go into another room so she could keep sleeping.

They seated themselves on the couch, with cups of tea. Andromeda stared at her son-in-law as if there was something she needed to ask him, but then went against it, but decided to say it anyways.

"You saved her, didn't you? My daughter?"

"I did…I wouldn't have been able to continue fighting if I lost her." He sighed as Andromeda looked at him skeptically. "I really do love Dora. I know you don't approve of our marriage and I know you didn't approve of our relationship, but I do love her. With everything I have. I wouldn't be alive now without her. After Sirius-" He stopped and looked down, remembering his deceased friend.

"I know you do love her, but I don't trust that you're going to be able to support her and stay with her forever." Remus was surprised, but he understood. "You left her once, and it killed her. What's to say it won't happen a second time?"

Pain began to fill his head, focusing behind his eyes and moving into his throat as he blinked and swallowed.

"It did happen a second time," he finally croaked. "But it's not going to happen again. I love her, I'm not going to leave her."

"Mother, my husband is telling the truth. He wouldn't lie to you or to me." A voice came from the hallway and Tonks entered the room, holding Teddy and looking both inquisitive and angry, all while retaining her exhausted appearance. "He's proved that he does love me. And I love him."

Remus kept his head low, ashamed of himself. He knew Tonks heard him say that he left her twice…but he couldn't judge from her expression how she felt about that. He hated himself more than he ever had before.

"Dora?" She simply smiled at him, then handed Teddy to her mother, who proceeded to dote on the baby, and grabbed Remus's hand, leading him back to their bedroom.

"I'm sorry Dora. I'm so sorry. I should have told you. I'm so sorry." He kept saying. He thought of James and Sirius…they'd be so furious, like Harry said, if they knew he had wanted to leave Tonks pregnant. Suddenly, Tonks gently pushed him against the door and stared up at him.

"Remus, I love you. I know you love me. Like I told you before, the negative things from the past…they don't matter." Her hands went into his hair and his around her waist as they kissed. He moved his hand from her waist to open the door and they entered, still kissing.

"Remember when you first asked me out?" Tonks giggled as Remus scooped her up and lay down with her.

"Of course I do! It was the most frightening experience of my life." The werewolf smirked as he ran his thumb down his wife's hand.

"Why's that? Afraid I was going to reject me?" The auror teased.

"Yes, but not only that. I was afraid you were going to reject me then proceed to hex me with every curse you knew for being such a creep." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, breathing in her soft scent.

"That would have been Mad-Eye. He thought I was too valuable to lose to a suitor." Tonks rolled her eyes as she fondly remembered her mentor.

"And he was right," Remus declared as he squeezed her hand, making her grin and blush. "Your mother would hex me if she could get away with it," They both laughed; it was very true. Ted was the only one to approve of Remus completely.

They lay together in silence, Remus feeling so high, so jubilant and joyful. He rolled over on his side and gently stroked his wife's cheek with his thumb, basking in this feeling.

"We should visit Harry," Tonks said out of the blue. "We should see how he's doing. And the Weasley's." Remus nodded.

"And Harry still hasn't met Teddy. He should, being his godfather."

"Why did you want Harry to be Teddy's godfather, by the way?" Remus sighed.

"He…he talked me out of leaving. And I would have named James godfather…" Remus was cut short by Tonks kissing him again. "I really am so lucky to have someone as wonderful and beautiful as you," He murmured as he kissed her back.

**AN: That was fluffy. Hope you all enjoyed it. Please read and review, let me know what you thought? I respond to all reviews. Also, please tell your friends if you enjoyed this.**

**Thank you for reading, all the readers. It means a lot. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hey all, thank you everyone for all the wonderful reviews. I squeed a little every time I read one. Today was just…not a good day. Not a good day at all. But, I might be seeing a therapist again. Hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter and I hope everyone will enjoy this one! This chapter is a bit graphic with violence, just warning you now.**

**PS: I don't know what happened, but it seemed that this chapter was deleted. Weird. Anyways, here it is.**

A bright moon, white and full, rose out of the clouds. Remus could feel himself sweating as his body began to change, screaming as bones broke and reassembled. He collapsed to the ground curled up until the transformation had completed. _Dora_, he screamed in his head. _She's too close_. Then, no thoughts came to him. Only instinct. Only want. And he wanted to hunt. He wanted to spill blood.

The werewolf looked around him until his eyes fell on the moon. Throwing back his head, he let out a long, deep howl. A scream met his howl, and the werewolf searched frantically for the source of that scream, his mouth watering at the thought of food, of the hunt, of blood. Finally, his eyes landed on a small cottage tucked neatly into the edge of a forest quite some distance away. He could see lights from inside, and he could smell the occupants of the cottage, and their _fear_.

He moved quickly to the cottage, growing more hungry as he heard a woman scream as he threw himself against the door, which gave way easily. He slowly walked into the cottage, glancing around the interior, at the warm walls, at the lights, at an overstuffed yellow chair, before his eyes fell on a young woman, her hair bubblegum pink and a young babe in her arms. She shuddered fearfully as he approached her. Pulling out a wand and making fire burst from the tip, she slowly stood as the werewolf retreated.

"You don't want to do this," she stammered, her wand still pointed at the beast as she clutched the baby closer to her. He growled in response as he slowly approached her. He could smell her fear, and that of the baby's as it began to cry. He slowly stepped back, then lunged at her, biting every bit of her he could, lapping up the blood, thoroughly enjoying every scream of pain that came from her.

"Monster," the woman spat as he ripped out her throat, dying instantly, her hair slowly turning red to match the color of the blood pouring down her neck and onto the floorboards.

The werewolf looked up from his meal as he heard gurgling next to him. He examined the baby closely, sniffing it, then opened his mouth to growl deeply. The baby recoiled, then stared up at him in fascination.

"Da-da?" Remus answered by ripping the babe's head off with one swipe of his paw, watching as the blood of the baby's ran onto the floorboards.

"Remus!" A deep, masculine voice cried from behind Remus. The werewolf looked up to see a man with round glasses and messy hair staring at him frantically. "They're coming, you have to protect them! They're coming now, you don't have much time!"

Remus lunged at the man, and woke up immediately.

It was very late, that much he could tell. He rose and looked out the window, wincing as he saw the half moon bright in the sky. Then, the dream came back to him. Fear gripped his heart as he ran to Tonks, sighing in relief as he slowly stroked her cheek, her pink hair moving softly as she breathed. A tear ran down his cheek as he remembered everything he had done to her in his dream. He remembered how her blood ran down her neck. More tears followed as he heard Teddy's gurgling in the next room.

He raced into the next room, crying openly as he slowly lifted Teddy into his arms and sat in the rocking chair by the crib, cuddling the baby.

"Remus?" Tonks walked into the room, her voice filled with concern. "Are you alright?" He couldn't bring himself to answer her, but she didn't need to ask to know. She walked in front of him and placed her hands on his shoulders as he continued to look down. "What's wrong?"

"It…it was just…just a dream," he stuttered, his voice betraying his emotions. He shifted to the left as she sat next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"What happened in the dream?" She asked softly, smiling as his arm went around her.

"Dora…" he gasped inwardly as another tear fell down his cheek, "I'm a monster. Why…why do you love me? I can kill you, I can kill you both without trying. You're…" he stopped to catch his breath, his voice shaking.

She turned her head to kiss his cheek. "You're not a monster, Remus. You've never done anything monstrous. And as for why I love you…it's because I do. It's because I find everything about you beautiful. You're brave. You're the best man a girl could ask for." She kissed him softly, her heart breaking as she stared into his sad, dark eyes.

Remus knew she loved him, but still questioned why, although he was ashamed he did. He looked down at the young woman beside him with her head on his shoulder. She was his reason to live. He thought of the dream again, of the hatred in her eyes as she had called him a monster.

"Remus?" Please, tell me. What happened?"

"I killed you," he whispered at last. Her eyes widened and he felt like he had been kicked in the stomach. "Dora, I killed you both. And…and I enjoyed…I enjoyed killing you." His voice shook as more tears fell. He couldn't even bear to glance at his wife. He opened his eyes as Teddy giggled and cooed as he grabbed on to Remus' finger.

"You're still afraid of hurting us," Tonks said after much thought and Remus nodded. "Remus, that's not going to happen."

"You don't know that," he said suddenly, his voice stronger than before. "A mistake could be made…I could forget to drink the potion." His voice trailed off as he stared at the wall in front of him. "Dora, I'm not supposed to be alive. I was killed. You saw it."

"But you're alive, that's what matters." He heard her voice shaking as she moved closer to him.

"Maybe you two would be better off if I wasn't." He kept his eyes on Teddy, who was still amusing himself with Remus' finger. Feeling something wet on his shoulder, he turned to Tonks and saw that she was crying.

"Don't say that," she sobbed. He looked at her, crying as well. He stood and put Tommy back in his crib, as his son had fallen asleep. He felt a hand grab his, and walked with Tonks back into their room.

She pushed him against the wall and kissed him, though she still was crying, as was he. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him as they kissed.

"Don't say that, Remus," she whispered, still sobbing. "If I had lost you…back there…" she buried her face in his shoulder, holding him tightly as she cried. "I wouldn't have lasted this long," she whispered in his ear. "I do need you, Remus. I love you. I love you. And I can't live without you, and I don't want to ever live without you."

"James would have loved you," Remus remarked quietly almost two hours later, fresh tears falling as he gazed at the beautiful woman next to him, the love of his life.

"Why's that?" Dora asked, kissing her husband's scarred hand.

"Because you're the first person to ever make me feel happy to be alive."

**AN: This was both very easy and very difficult to write. I really hope you enjoyed it. Please read and review, I respond to all reviews.**

**Also, check out OBatR's new song 'Hunt You Down'. Wonderful artist, he is.**

**And, I have an actual playlist for this chapter. Chapter 34 by RiddleTM, More Than Just A Werewolf by RiddleTM (I listen to that song for every chapter, it is so good), Open at the Close by OBatR, and Look At Me by RiddleTM. Good artists, support them. **


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Well, here's to more writing. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. It really makes my day, logging into the email to see all those alerts and reviews. ^^ Life is chaotic, as usual. Hope you lot are well!**

A loud explosion rattled the windows of the cottage. Another sounded, and Remus woke with a start. As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he heard James' voice shout "REMUS! YOU NEED TO LEAVE. GET OUT OF THERE. NOW!"

He shook his head. It couldn't be James. James was dead. But yet another explosion was heard, this time closer to the cottage. He flinched as the room was lit up for from the light of it, then turned his head to Tonks, who was fast asleep.

"Dora!" He whispered urgently, his hand on her shoulder, but he received only a grunt in response. "Dora, you need to wake up. We need to leave." Remus spoke a bit louder this time, and his fear must have been present in his voice as Tonks opened her eyes quickly, staring up at him in confusion.

"What's going on?" She yawned softly while staring up at Remus. He found himself speechless as another explosion shook the house, rattling the windows and lighting up the room once again. Tonks paled, her question already answered. From the other room, sounds of Teddy crying could be heard. Parental instinct taking over, Remus grabbed his wife's hand and ran out of their room, his heart racing as he heard voices from outside the cottage.

Tonks stumbled into Teddy's room to scoop the wailing baby into her arms as Remus sprinted back into their bedroom, scrambling for their wands. His thoughts returned to the dream he had, and he heard James again, warning him from them. They're coming, he had said. But who were they? Who was coming? It couldn't be the Dea-

But it only made sense! Of course it would be Death Eaters! His wife was an Auror, and she had helped to make arrests after the Battle of Hogwarts. And Remus, of course…

Cracking sounds from the main room told Remus that the intruders had broken finally broken down the door. He heard them stumbling around in the dark as he slowly crept his way back to Tonks.

"IT'S HIM!" A voice screamed and Remus felt his heart drop as he noticed a wand pointed at him. Not wasting any time, he whipped his wand at the intruder and bellowed "_STUPEFY!". _The figure groaned and collapsed to the ground, and Remus hurried back to Tonks, locking the door with a wave of his wand.

Teddy was still crying, and Tonks was trying desperately to soothe him. The werewolf glanced over his shoulder and saw the Auror's normally pink hair a dull brown, her eyes filled with fear. He grabbed her arm with one hand, a destination already in mind as the door was smashed open and some_thing_ entered.

Not caring to find out what the creature before him really was, Remus closed his eyes and stepped into the darkness, focusing on the destination.

He hit the moist grass face-down, and he heard two figures moving around him as Teddy still screamed. He heard Tonks scream something, a hex, and a horrible terrible sound.

He turned his head to the left and saw the _thing_ screaming, as if it were in the worst pain. It was completely engulfed in flame and flailing around, screaming, a noise so terrible Remus had never heard anything like it.

Then, without a sound, it vanished. Slowly losing consciousness, the werewolf was vaguely aware of something wet near his shoulder and Tonks screaming for Molly, her voice louder than he had ever heard it.

**AN:** **I know, this was rather short and I promised long chapters, but an update was needed. I hope you enjoyed this, despite its length. Please review! :D**


	8. Note and Apology

**Alright, so, I know this might upset some people. Sorry about that.**

**I haven't updated this story in months. I know. School has just gotten in the way of that. I'm going to try to write more for this though. This was one of my favorite stories, and it was the only one that I really had planned out.**

**I also might end up rewriting the existing chapters. I look back at them and realize that they really weren't the best. **

**I promise that a new chapter for this will be up in the next two weeks. A real chapter. And it will be worth the wait. Maybe I'll put up a few this weekend. Who knows?**

**So I'm sorry for the unexpected hiatus, and I promise that this will be updated more. I also hope that there are still people who want to read it. Haha.**

**Thanks!**


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